The art of jewelry display relates to the showing of certain precious commodities in a glass showcase to customers for retail sale purposes. Watches and rings are considered to be among the commodities shown in this manner.
Sales of jewelry including rings increase and decrease sharply in accordance with particular seasons of the year. In particular, during the Christmas season when customer demand is strong, a large number of rings are in inventory and many are displayed in showcases by retailers. Immediately after Christmas, customer demand drops precipitously and merchandise levels are kept low.
Rings displayed for retail sale in a glass showcase are mounted on "trims", which include (1) "elevations", also known as "buildups" or "steps" and (2) the components that hold the actual rings, which in turn rest on the elevations. The elevations rest on the floor of the glass showcase. A number of elevations are positioned adjoining one another. An easel, or tilt support, is generally placed under the elevation at its rear edge so as to present the elevation to customers at a slant. The easels are generally of slightly different sizes so that the elevations are presented at different angular slants. A first type of elevation used for rings in seasons of high merchandise levels has a topside and a back side. The topside is a level platform covered with a fabric and having a number of ring slots for mounting rings in the season of high merchandise level. The back side has no function and is provided with a backing, generally of paper, which covers over the edges of the fabric covering of the elevation. Because merchants want to avoid having a number of empty ring slots in the seasons of low merchandise levels, a second type of elevation is used. The second type of elevation also has a level topside covered in fabric and has a number of ring slots fewer in number than the topside of the first type of elevation. Like the first type of elevation, the second type of elevation has a backside having no function and provided with a backing, generally of paper, which covers over the edges of the fabric. The second type of elevation has fewer ring slots and thus presents fewer rings than the first type of elevation, although the elevation has all the ring slots filled with rings. Thus, the retailer is able to show an artful display of rings at times of both high and low merchandise levels. The problem with this system is that two completely different sets of elevations are needed by merchants over the course of a year with all the attendant problems the common two set operation entails.
A unitary ring display system described in application Ser. No. 241,890 overcomes the disadvantages of the problems of the two set elevation system just described by having a unitary support structure having opposed first and second platforms each having a different number of ring slots provided. The support structure is best shown tilted toward the customer. In application Ser. No. 241,890 this is accomplished by the support structure raised at the far side by a tilt means or by having the support structure mounted in a housing that tilts the support structure. Alternatively, an easel under the support structure tilts the display at an angle.